We are back with the review of the earlier part of Day 1 of the final Riffolution Festival.
Grand Elder have the pleasure of opening this year's Festival. The crowd is healthy, and the band seem ready for it. They entertain with their stoner rock soaked tunes. The atmosphere is party-like and with singer Chris Hodgson dancing around on stage, this only serves to amplify this feeling. With their music seamlessly running from psychedelic to rock to doom Grand Elder are very enjoyable as always, with the smiles on stage mirrored in the crowd proving they are a good choice to open this day.
The bounce of Dunes is next for us. This expert trio burst into their lavish riffs and hooky grooves with style and ease. Dunes’ songs have a warm fuzzy stoner rock vibe that please both me and the crowd. You can see that some audience members are trying Dunes for the first time, and some like me are familiar with their work. All are bobbing heads with glee and a riff face. 
The Saturday afternoon crowd remains large, and it’s not until there are calls for the lights to be dimmed before the band realise this. The excellent new single Riding the Low gets its turn and goes down as well as the rest of their material. Dunes are a top live band to witness, and they did not disappoint this time either.
The Saturday afternoon crowd remains large, and it’s not until there are calls for the lights to be dimmed before the band realise this. The excellent new single Riding the Low gets its turn and goes down as well as the rest of their material. Dunes are a top live band to witness, and they did not disappoint this time either.
The Stunningly beautiful sounding Sergeant Thunderhoof take their places on stage and their music is as beguiling as ever. The vocal talents of Dan Flitcroft fill the room while Mr Mark Sayers' guitar seems on the edge of bursting into emotional flames. As always, this band entertain with their songs of English psychedelic stoner bliss. The crowd has swelled, and the atmosphere is joyous. This short festival appearance sees the maiden outing of a new song from their forthcoming album, and it fits right in with what you would hope for. As all of us festival and gig goers know, the sign of a spectacular set is the fact the toilets are heaving at the end of the show. No one wanted to leave while the band were performing. [I'm not sure about this - if you need to pee, you need to pee. Says more about Thrashtash if you ask me - H]
Ritual King is a late addition to the Riffolution list but a very welcome one. Another band I have seen several times and have never been disappointed by. A band who’s album we have also discussed on our podcast, with 2023’s Infinite Mirror managing the impossible and impressing the miserable one. It’s not difficult to understand why. The musicianship and song writing on show is up there with the best. Their tunes are a little more psychedelic than others on the bill, but it merges well and solidly with the rock already there. With longer tunes and extensive soaring guitar solos, the chilled-out vibe is infectious.
The experimental vibe of Dirty Sound is a little less appealing to me. There is definitely talent on show with this band, but the tunes are a little too disjointed for my taste. Some of the tunes and song writing is very clever, but none of them get their hooks into me. Many a person is on the other hand enjoying this set with pint in hand. We can’t all like the same thing.
Unfortunately, due to puncture on their van, Old Horn Tooth had a shortened set, and only had time to play a song and a bit! They literally turned up, tuned up and went for it. That might sound a very short set, but it was nearly half an hour!! The band are well known for their epic doomy tunes that often last fifteen minutes plus. Opening with No Salvation from their latest album Mourning Light, the trio hit their groove and the crowd was hooked. There's an energy with these guys and they all look and sound well connected onstage together. I've always liked Ollie's playing style, bass sling down low. Similar to Dan Lilker but lower still!! We get teased with the intro to True Death, but they definitely didn't have enough time to play that!!
Unfortunately, due to puncture on their van, Old Horn Tooth had a shortened set, and only had time to play a song and a bit! They literally turned up, tuned up and went for it. That might sound a very short set, but it was nearly half an hour!! The band are well known for their epic doomy tunes that often last fifteen minutes plus. Opening with No Salvation from their latest album Mourning Light, the trio hit their groove and the crowd was hooked. There's an energy with these guys and they all look and sound well connected onstage together. I've always liked Ollie's playing style, bass sling down low. Similar to Dan Lilker but lower still!! We get teased with the intro to True Death, but they definitely didn't have enough time to play that!!
Reviews and photos by Neil 'Thrashtash' Bolton and Dez Coley
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